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One of the people who gives me inspiration from time to time is Matthew Laing. You may not know him, but you will know his mother—our M.P. Being just 7 years old he has a refreshing take on things. He will be spending this Christmas in Oman and he asked his mother, “Will we be able to go to the Mosque and sing Christmas Carols?” He understands the difference between Church and Mosque but with childlike innocence, he does not know of the things which divide people from each other—and that’s rather delightful. Whilst it might be true that Muslims do not regard Jesus as God’s Son, they do have a deep and profound respect for Him as a great Prophet, as a reading of the Koran (the Muslim Holy Book) will confirm. Perhaps, in a world which seems to concentrate on what divides people from each other we might seek instead the things that unite. There is something in Muslim belief which, though not going as far as Christian belief, at least has a common root. In any creative and meaningful dialogue between people, what unites is always a better starting point than what divides. At the end of this week, we shall be united in a common grief for a young soldier who gave his life in the Afghanistan conflict. Tragic death carries with it a uniting of emotions and of prayers. Our hearts go out to Georgie Spark’s family at this deeply sad time for them. In this we are united not only with the family but with Georgie’s comrades in the Armed forces, especially those of his regiment who knew him and worked with him in the cause of peace. That cause is something we all share, especially as we approach Christmas and see in the Christ-child, God’s hope for the peace of His world. Whilst war and battle are the result of division, beyond the fighting there must be a longing for a peace which comes ultimately through dialogue and through a common desire for divided people to live peaceably together in unity. Humanity is meant to live in harmony not only with each other but with our world. This may seem an idealistic dream but it is a dream we all must work for because it is at the heart of all religion, however it is manifested. So often we feel overwhelmed by the conflicts between people and it is easy to despair of humanity but we, who follow the Prince of Peace, must never give up. There is always a way forward and it begins when we celebrate what unites us as people — the most obvious being that we share the common human quality of love. This is something we learn from God. In its truest manifestation it unites people and we should concentrate on this rather than on our differences —s ome of which, anyway, are part of the rich diversity of human life. We may be a little way off from Matthew’s dream of singing Carols in a Mosque but we should not stray too far from the desire it expresses for us to find the things that unite and celebrate together in a common bond of love. That, after all is God’s hope for us. That is at the heart of the Christmas message. |